Russia accuses US, West of stalling Ukraine war by sending weapons
Countries have been sending Ukraine military assistance to fight Vladimir Putin's army
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is accusing the United States and other Western countries Tuesday of trying to "delay" the course of the war in Ukraine by sending shipments of weapons to Kyiv’s military.
Shoigu made the comment while meeting with top military brass. Meanwhile, Russia’s military has launched a new, full-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine.
"Increasing volumes of foreign arms deliveries clearly demonstrate their intentions to provoke the Kyiv regime to fight to the last Ukrainian," Shoigu said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov meet with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Feb. 27. (Reuters)
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Shoigu also said that the Russian military has "consistently implemented the plan to fully liberate the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics."
Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for eight years in the mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial heartland, Donbas, that includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Ukrainian soldier rides atop an armored fighting vehicle in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday. (Press service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces/Handout via Reuters)
They have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by Russia.
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Emergency workers clear up debris after an airstrike hit a tire shop in the western city of Lviv, Ukraine, on Monday. (AP/Philip Crowther)
Ukrainian security official Oleksiy Danilov said Tuesday that Russian troops are now trying to break through Ukrainian positions "along almost the entire front line of [the] Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions," Reuters reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New explosions have been heard in the Donetsk region and in the cities of Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia, while air raid sirens could be heard wailing in populated areas near the front line, the news agency also reported, citing officials and local media.
Fox News’ Amy Kellogg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.